The Real Reason
by Secretly Wicked
Summary: Galinda Didn't Want Elphaba To Come To Lake Chorge. Gelphie. One shot. A hidden scene between Galinda and Elphaba.


**DISCLAIMER:** The worlds and characters contained in this fanfiction do not belong to me.

**The Real Reason Galinda Didn't Want Elphaba to Come To Lake Chorge.**

**By**

**Secretly Wicked**

_It couldn't be,_ thought Galinda, staring at the awkward green girl. _She can't really be here. Not after …_

Without a word, Galinda turned on her heel and flounced off to sit on a swing near a pretty little birdbath she'd noticed on her way in. She hadn't been able to sit there before, because Shen-Shen and Pfanee hadn't yet learned the allure of being truly alone. Why think when you could talk?

In fact, Galinda was only just learning this new lesson herself. And she had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with Elphaba, who she was presently trying to avoid. She dropped her chin onto her fist and stared out into the green undergrowth.

_Why now?_ She thought petulantly. _I was just beginning to relax. To get over this … to ignore the … oh dear. _

She sighed. She wished again that Alma Clutch hadn't stood on that rusty nail and left her to arrange her own rooming companion. She'd made a mess of it, just as she was making a mess of this … friendship? Truce? Relationship?

_Of all the things you could do,_ she berated herself. _You had plenty of opportunity to hate her. If only you weren't so nice … _

She sighed again. And then there was Boq, that incorrigible munchkin Elphaba thought was fair game for incessant teasing. Galinda let herself fall into conversation, not paying much attention at all, playing the part of the injured society girl.

She regretted that later, when he plucked up all the courage he had in his little body and kissed her. She hardly realised what was going on, until there was a rustle in the bushes, and she was sure she saw something tall and skinny rush away through the forest.

"Oh, Boq," she said. "I'm sorry. I have to go now."

The munchkin boy looked too overwhelmed to protest anything, so she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and hoped he didn't take it too far.

She found herself picking up her skirts and speeding around the grounds, hoping she remembered the layout well enough to head off whoever it was who had interrupted Boq (although she was glad they had; it was hard to ignore that lovesick expression all the time even though it was flattering, and sometimes quite cute).

She arrived, panting, at the other side of a mulberry tree, and there was Elphaba, trying to hide behind it, hoping her black dress and green skin would keep her sufficiently camouflaged. Unfortunately there were a lot of mulberry trees in the Uplands, and Galinda knew that none of them had green trunks.

"Oh, Elphaba," She said. "I can see you. Come out. You don't need to hide."

"I do if I don't want to talk to you," Elphaba said, but she stopped trying to will herself into the tree and came to stand before Galinda. All her limbs seemed pointier than ever, and Galinda had a suspicion she may have had something to do with that.

"I'm sorry," Galinda said, and she had an uncanny feeling she may have said that more times today than she ever had before. "I didn't mean to act so … mean. Or for you to see … " she gestured, "that."

"It's okay," Elphaba said. "Why would I care what you do with Boq? Just try not to break his heart into too many pieces, would you?"

"Elphie, listen to me, I didn't want that to happen. It just … I wasn't paying attention, and it …"

"I don't need to hear it, Galinda," Elphaba said, and she tried to push past Galinda onto the path behind her.

"I need you to hear it," Galinda blurted, and blushed. She hadn't meant to be that honest. Elphaba paused.

"Why?"

"I … because … oh, it doesn't matter," She said awkwardly.

"Yes, it does," Elphaba said, and turned to face her. "Tell me."

"I … Boq and me, we're not … well, _you_ know how I feel about him, and it just … it's not right," she finished ineloquently, and wished her golden hair could be of more use in a situation like this.

Elphaba studied her carefully.

"If that's all you've got to say," she said.

"Yes," Galinda said. "Yes, that's all I've got to … I mean, I hardly know you, right? Just because I don't hate you doesn't mean I … or that we …"

"No," Elphaba said softly. "I guess it doesn't."

"I mean, if things … if I were …. Different, maybe …" Galinda stuttered.

Elphaba just watched her.

"Galinda," she said eventually. "You know exactly how to arrange your hair, you can flirt like I've never seen, your smile melts hearts, you can talk rings around any boy … and you can't say this one single thing to me?"

"Well, you're different, aren't you?" Galinda burst out. "I mean, you're smart, and funny, and you have so many opinions. You wouldn't really care about me, and my … how I … feel. Why would you care?"

Elphaba put a hand on her shoulder.

"I thought that's what friends did," she said gently. "I'm no expert, of course. But friends care. I … care. And I think you … care, too."

"I do," Galinda said, and blushed. "But probably not in … you wouldn't … oh let's just go back to the house."

"If that's what you want," Elphaba said quietly.

Galinda looked at her.

"What do you want, then?" She asked.

"I think you know what I want," Elphaba said. "At least, as much as I do, and that's as uncertain as whether I'll murder Avaric before we leave Shiz. But you would know, I think, as well as anyone."

"I don't know anything!" Galinda said, throwing her hands up and looking away. "I can barely pass Life Science, and you think I can understand _you,_ the biggest mystery I've ever come across? You, you funny little green thing … I could never guess what you want … _who_ you might … want."

Elphaba took a breath.

"Shall I show you, then?"

Galinda blinked, and nodded slowly. Elphaba closed her eyes and took another breath.

"Forgive me for this, Galinda," she whispered, and kissed her. Just softly, just tentatively, the way you'd approach a frightened animal.

And Galinda was overwhelmed. Her senses were clogged with Elphaba, her smell, her sounds, the way she felt so close to her, her lips on Galinda's lips. She reached up and grasped Elphaba's wrist, her hand still on her shoulder, and Elphaba started to pull away.

Galinda let her go, still too frightened and amazed to know what else to do, but she didn't let go of Elphaba's wrist.

Elphaba stared back at her, impassive and unafraid. The hardest moment was over now, the leap into the unknown, and now it was just bearing the repercussions. There was a flush on Galinda's face, and Elphaba tried not to think how beautiful she looked.

They stood there for a long time, with neither of them saying anything, and Galinda's hand still around Elphaba's wrist as it lingered on her shoulder.

"Elphie," Galinda whispered finally. "Thank you for showing me."

Elphaba smiled.

"You're welcome."

**Author's Note**

This is my first step into this fandom; I'm primarily a Harry Potter writer. Thus I know there's a lot of things I haven't got right about this scene, including working it in with what actually happened in the book, but bear with me, because as time goes by I'll get better.

I also think this idea was done before; I didn't read the story but I did glance at the summary, so I apologise if I've stolen anyone's idea.

Overall I hope you enjoyed it, and if you want to look at some (primarily slash) Harry Potter fanfic, my profile is www. fanfiction .net/ romanticidiot but obviously without the spaces.

Thanks,

Liz.


End file.
